Tag: 2010s

Halloween’s here! Well, almost here. Every October, I like to take some time to talk about horror movies or Halloween-themed movies. This year, I decided to discuss my top 10 favorite horror movies I’ve seen since 2010. This has been a great decade and for me, it revived the horror genre.

The 2000’s seemed obsessed with torture porn, zombies, and found footage. Granted, we’re still stuck with a myriad of found footage movies, but we’ve also seen several cool aesthetics I hope to see more of. Horror movies are relying less on cheap scares and gore and more on psychological terror. We now have directors who are paying homage and splicing the genre with other genres.

Enough babbling, let’s get down to it!

10) V/H/S 2 (2013) – Yeah, I bashed a little on found footage and have a found footage movie on here, so what? Unlike its predecessor, V/H/S 2 has segments that flow better and each one increases its scares and visceral impact. The most standout segment is one where a guy films his bike ride on a GoPro, is attacked by a zombie, then we see his zombie rampage through the GoPro POV. If you’re going to make a found footage movie, take a some notes here.

9) Green Room (2016) – Those who follow my reviews and know me personally have heard me rave about this white-knuckle punk siege movie. It’s more of a realistic horror move, depicting just how potentially vicious, albeit incompetent someone might get in a fight-or-flight situation. And that’s all I’ll say since this might make my top 10 at the end of the year.

8) I Saw the Devil (2011) – It’s a Korean revenge horror film about a spy versus a serial killer. With an insane body count, some memorably gruesome moments, and a surprisingly powerful story, I Saw the Devil is one of the more character-driven horror films in recent memory.

7) The Conjuring (2013) – I hate movies that pull the “Based on a True Story” card, but leave it to a horror geek like James Wan to win me over. This is a rare horror film that focuses more on suspense than cliches. What I like the most about The Conjuring is that it’s part horror film, part family drama. We spend time with the Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and see they’re a lovable couple, and maybe the first to make exorcisms look romantic (jokingly speaking).

6) ParaNorman (2012) – An animated horror film that’s a tribute to the 70s and 80s horror era, ParaNorman also features an investing Sixth Sense-style story. It’s an animated horror film that’s more for kids, ages 12 and up, but that’s okay. Horror can be for all ages if executed accordingly.

5) Oculus (2014) – Like The Conjuring, Oculus derives away from horror movie cliches. Director Mike Flanagan uses editing to trick the viewer into feeling like they’re hallucinating, like the main characters. It’s a disturbing movie about a pair of siblings trying to prove that a possessed mirror killed their parents, but the most frightening aspect is its ambiguous ending.

4) It Follows (2015) – How scary would it be if you contracted an STD in the form of a ghost that stalks you until it kills you? It Follows answers that question. It’s a blend of arthouse filmmaking and a John Carpenter tribute that had me looking over my shoulder repeatedly after seeing it.

3) The Cabin in the Woods (2012) – Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard delivered one of the funniest, bloodiest, craziest, and most twisted horror movies I’d seen in years. I watched this on Netflix after avoiding it and was blown away. I don’t want to say much for those who haven’t seen it, so just watch it!

2) The Babadook (2014) – The Babadook is a horror film that still gives me nightmares to this day. It’s an unsettling psychological study about a mentally unstable widow and her equally unstable son, and whether or not you believe the Babadook is real or imaginary, that’s part of the fun. Kudos to first-time director Jennifer Kent for using a minimum budget to design one of the creepiest creatures to date.

1) The Guest (2014) – Not many people have seen or even heard of Adam Wingard’s underrated gem. It’s an odd combination of 80’s slasher movies and action movies, making Rambo look like Michael Myers. It focuses on a soldier named David who befriends a family. He begins helping them make their life better, but once they realize he’s a supersoldier, the body count increases. It’s more thriller than horror, but its style and pacing qualify it as a brilliant horror homage.